Gritty vocals, gentle acoustic arrangements enlivened by horns and various Celtic-sounding instruments (fiddle, low whistle, Uillean pipes), lyrical reflections on rites of passage (falling in love, leaving home, facing death): The recipe in Fatal Joy reveals the strong influence of Van Morrison. 29 Palms is certainly not the first band to be inspired by Morrison, though, and groups like Hothouse Flowers have captured the warmth and spirit of his music far more effectively than this English duo does on their sometimes touching but basically unexceptional debut. B-